can i remove live rock to rearrange?

[seanh287]

i moved the rocks in the tank, and not i dont like how it turned out. can i take all the pieces out to arrange them out of the tank and then put them back in?
i just put my clownfish in and dont want them to die

 

[scsinet]

Only remove them for a few minutes and you'll be fine. If you need more than that, like 5 minutes or more, then I'd fill a 5 gallon bucket with tank water, soak a bath towel in it (and I mean really soak it) and lay it on top of the rocks to keep them from drying out.

 

[dawman]

I think if you keep the rocks wet or at least moist and not out too long you should be fine . I have done so by putting them in a plastic tub filled with tank water just to be on the safe side .

 

[bkvreef]

Originally Posted by seanh287
i moved the rocks in the tank, and not i dont like how it turned out. can i take all the pieces out to arrange them out of the tank and then put them back in?
i just put my clownfish in and dont want them to die
The only thing I would be careful about is a nitrate spike. In moving all the rocks you may stir up some waste and cause a spike.
I would siphon out some of the water after piking up the rock and before resetting it.

 

[spacepolice05]

I am super new to the hobby and had to move my rock around to remove some of my fish. I put the rock in a 5 gallon bucket without water for about two or three minutes. My tank has done nothing but thrive since. It has been about a month since I had to move the rock around. As with anything on this forum, take what I say with a grain of salt and find what works for you.

 

[jamiegrl]

I did the same thing. I moved rocks around to remove a little jerk fish but my nitrates spiked because i mixed the substrate around too much so be careful not to mix too much
I take the rocks out for a few seconds to rearrange them tho and they are still doing great.